Photo provided by MICHELLE CHAUVIN -- Freshmen students, from left, Champ Artigues, Kade Bleakley and Jacob Becerra enjoy an evening with their new classmates Aug. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond.

Photo provided by MICHELLE CHAUVIN -- Freshmen students, from left, Lauren Davis, Mia Milton and Abbie Busch attend a school assembly, the first for the Class of 2018, on Aug. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond.

St. Thomas Aquinas freshmen meet up

Photo provided by MICHELLE CHAUVIN -- Freshmen students, from left, Champ Artigues, Kade Bleakley and Jacob Becerra enjoy an evening with their new classmates Aug. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond.

Photo provided by MICHELLE CHAUVIN -- Freshmen students, from left, Lauren Davis, Mia Milton and Abbie Busch attend a school assembly, the first for the Class of 2018, on Aug. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond.

Nearly 100 freshmen gathered at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School on Aug. 5 for their first event as the class of 2018.

While their parents attended an informational assembly with administrators, the freshmen mingled and ate ice cream sundaes in the theater with the Advancement Team and the STA Student Ambassadors, a news release from the school said.

The freshmen class will get to use the new academic building, which opens in late fall. School improvements include a renovated gymnasium floor and upgraded baseball field and other athletic facilities.

St. Thomas will institute a new eight-period rotating schedule to give students more opportunities with electives, which will help students with both college and career readiness, the news release said.